First stop was at Japanese WWII tunnels where old ships and weapons were abandoned at the end of the war. There are 700kms of tunnels in the hills around Simpson Harbour which was the main base for the Japanese. Locals had set up some market stalls outside.
…old ships left in the tunnels…
This is one of many wrecks in Simpson Harbour. Its estimated that about 60-65 Japanese ships were sunk in this harbour in the war. Its a popular place for divers and plenty of wrecks to visit.
We made a stop at the markets which were pretty flash compared to Alotau!
This is traditional shell money, still used and plays an important part in paying the ‘bride price’ – a traditional payment to the brides family to bind the two families together. It also might include the exchange of pigs or other livestock, food and gifts and there is a ceremony for the exchange of gifts. Our guide told us about the high rate of domestic violence in PNG and how it was against the law for men to hit their wives but it is still very common.
After some time looking about the markets (which were very clean!) we drove out to the Bitapaka War Cemetery.
The grounds are lovely and peaceful – more of these absolutely huge trees all around the place and very green.
There was quite a few of ex-servicemen on our cruise and we arrived just as they began a brief memorial service & laid wreaths. This is a memorial site at the cemetery for the more than 1,200 Australians who lost their lives here in WWII and have no known grave.
